Apex court orders that Maharashtra civic elections be held by January 31, 2026, after years of delays
Polls have been delayed, primarily due to litigation over reservations for the Other Backward Classes. File pic/Ashish Raje
The much-awaited elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra will be held within the next four months. The Supreme Court has set a final deadline of January 31, 2026, to complete all local body polls in the state.
In Mumbai, the last civic election was held in February 2017, with the five-year tenure of the elected body ending in 2022. Since then, polls have been delayed, primarily due to litigation over reservations for the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
On Tuesday, while hearing a petition, the apex court directed that all municipal corporations, zilla parishads, and panchayat samitis must conduct elections by January 31. The court also criticised the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) for failing to adhere to its earlier schedule.
After the order, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and senior BJP leader and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule assured that “the process will be completed as per the instructions of the honourable court.”
Asked whether polls would be held in phases or in one stretch, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said it was the prerogative of the SEC and “not appropriate” for him to comment.
During the hearing, the SEC had sought more time, citing the unavailability of school premises, shortage of staff, and lack of electronic voting machines (EVMs). However, the court rejected the plea, directing that polls must be completed within the given timeframe.
Following the judgment, the SEC is expected to expedite the process for elections to 29 municipal corporations, 290 municipal councils, and various district councils and panchayat samitis. The poll process will gather momentum once the official schedule is announced.
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